How I Made Over $220M In Sales Creating Scrub Daddy | The Ground Up
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- On store shelves, customers might only see a bright yellow smile waiting to add some shine to the kitchen. But, behind the iconic ridges and gleaming eye holes are years of sweat and machine grime for Aaron Krause, 54, Scrub Daddy’s Founder and CEO.
Aaron's entrepreneurial journey started when he was just a kid living in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. At 10 years old, he created his first invention: A rope and pulley system to turn his bedroom light on and off from his bed so he didn't have to get up and do it.
From there, Aaron kept his innovative side going by washing cars in the neighborhood. After graduating from Syracuse University in 1992 with a psychology degree, he told his family that he was going to open his own car washing business. His family was shocked and upset with his career path, to say the least.
But Aaron knew he could make it work. Not only by washing cars, but to start inventing new products. In 1994, he invented his first big product, which was a buffing pad for polishing cars.
In 1995, Aaron sold his car washing business and turned his focus to a new venture: Dedication To Detail, a buffing pad manufacturer. A few years after creating his business, he received polyester urethane foam from German manufacturer FoamPartner, which became a key part of Scrub Daddy's material now known as FlexTexture. However, the buffing pads he was selling with this foam at this time did not sell well and he was forced to stop selling it due to low sales in the market.
On September 3, 2008, Dedication To Detail was bought out by multi-national manufacturer 3M. Aaron's sponges ended up sitting at the back of the Detail factory for five years until March 2011 when they found a new life. That foam became the material of the sponge for the Scrub Daddy, which he pitched on Shark Tank in October 2012. As soon as the episode aired, Aaron's life changed forever.
Since then, the company moved their headquarters to Pennsauken, New Jersey in 2021. Their newest facility features a television studio, a warehouse, a koi pond, and a store for customers to buy their products.
Today, Scrub Daddy has made over $220 million in sales for 2023. But, Aaron said his sponge empire is just getting started.
00:00 - This Is Scrub Daddy
00:30 - Meet The Scrub Daddy
01:24 - The Sponge Dynasty
02:22 - Aaron’s First Invention
03:07 - An Early Entrepreneur
04:05 - Creating The Buffing Pad
04:42 - Finding The Right Material & Securing A Patent
05:57 - Starting Dedication to Detail
07:07 - The New Life Of A Sponge
09:02 - Building A Company
10:12 - Spotting A Knock Off
10:22 - Pitching To His First Customers
10:39 - Leveraging The Press
10:57 - Scrub Daddy’s QVC Debut
12:07 - Feeling Inspired By Shark Tank
12:49 - The Road To Shark Tank
13:07 - Perfecting The Pitch
13:54 - Preparing To Swim With Sharks
14:25 - An Unexpected Change
14:49 - Robert Herjavec’s Herald For Retail
15:16 - Mark Cuban’s Cut And Run
15:26 - Withdrawing Mr. Wonderful
16:13 - Lori Greiner See’s A Gain
17:11 - Aaron’s Vindication
17:53 - A Deal for Scrub Daddy
18:07 - Reaching New Heights
18:46 - Aaron's Partnership With Lori
19:51 - Scrub Daddy Moves To Pennsauken
20:11 - Aaron's Business Vision
20:59 - Keeping Sustainability In Their Sights
22:12 - One Thing Aaron Would Change
22:42 - Scrub Daddy's Future
23:13 - The Krause's Family Lesson
24:19 - What Aaron's Learned
24:39 - Outro
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Thank you, Fortune, for sharing our story! We're just getting started ;)
We loved telling your story! Thanks for sharing it with us! 🧽
Great story, hope this company evolves
Huge fan of scrub daddy !
I love you Scrub Daddy!!! Best sponge ever!
can't believe I watched the entire thing. you're awesome aaron
He seems like such a great guy on top of everything.
Aarons the man
Right, he seems like a very cool dude
The smiley face on the sponge reminds me of him fr. Seems like a smiley dude
the scrub daddy chain is cold af
This man is the COOLEST human being to exist I swear 😂 there needs to be a book about him
hmmmm not a bad idea...
That’s a bold statement. There have been 120 billion humans to have ever existed, and you rank him as #1, when you haven’t even seen 99.99% of them?
@@Justin-uc8sc Nah he's the coolest. It's not an opinion, it's factual.
I finally gave in and bought my first scrub daddy and I can honestly tell you I will never purchase a different sponge. He truly created an amazing product!
What a wholesome, genuine guy. It feels like something from a different timeline. I don't know him, but I feel so proud of him lol
I love this for him. He seems like such a nice guy, and I never thought someone being excited about a sponge would make me excited about a sponge lol
The rise of the Scrub Daddy has been incredible so I love getting to know the background story of this innovative company, makes me appreciate their products even more!
I thought the scrub daddy was a scam, just another sponge, but it really is amazing and doesn't smell. Lasts almost a year, costs next to nothing and makes my life easier. It literally is an amazing product and he really deserves to be a millionaire
Mine will eventually start to smell, at which point I call it "Stinky Daddy". Then I bleached it, and it smells better again. Towards the end of the sponge's life it the face starts to sag,a at which point I name it "Creepy Daddy"
The part at the end with his mother made me cry. You’re doing amazing Aaron, thank you for your awesome products!
Thank you for your support!!
Just by watching his Shark Tank episode it's easy to tell that he's super smart. Now that I watch this, it all makes sense. I'm very happy for him and his company.
I hate washing dishes so much, but when I tried the scrub daddy it truely helped me clean my apt.
Thats wassup! Thank you for the support :)
@@ScrubDaddyOfficial I love you btw 💛💛💛
This whole business is a textbook example of inventions and entrepreneurship. I teach Spanish and at some point O teach a business module, and Scrub Daddy is a perfect case study to analyze and review. Its a teachers wet dream when it comes to lesson planning
Sometimes people call me naive for "following my heart" as if it is somehow in opposition to following my head. My head truly believes that following your heart is the best way to find true success. Aaron Krause's heart wanted to keep washing cars. He is intelligent and educated, and his family wanted something different for him, but he followed his heart rather than his ego. And now he is not only financially successful but also clearly deeply proud of and passionate about his work. A true inspiration. Thank you for making the great documentary.
Aaron's journey from washing cars to making millions with Scrub Daddy proves that innovation can come from the most unexpected places! 💡💰
I live in europe, austria and I went to the drug store today and I was so happy to see scrub daddy on the shelves! Finally they are expanding to Europe. I have been waiting for this for so long! I bought 2
How much did you pay for 2 Scrub Dady's and in what country are you in?
@@dmgfoto4508im in Croatia and I bought one like an hour ago and it was i thing 4 euros and something.
SAME
Thank you for bringing Scrubb Daddy, best product i ever bought for kitchen !!!!
It must be an insane feeling owning the biggest sponge company in the world. Aaron has really made an impact with his product. Godspeed, for the journy of Scrub Daddy continues forward!
Listening to this while doing my dishes with a scrub daddy is such an experience. I’m so glad you make an orange Daddy as it’s my favorite color and makes me look forward to doing dishes as weird as that sounds😂. Aaron to you and the whole company I love your products I wish I could buy more!
Can't thank you enough for your support!!
Did u see the halloween frankenstein scrub daddy?
Yess i love orange, there’s not enough people like us 😔
I love this!! I didn’t realize how much work and dedication was put into the scrub daddy! I remember seeing it on shark tank too!!
Yup! Lot of work put into this company, but all worth it to make people smile :)
This story has left such a smile on my face, well done Aaron. I’m a big fan from Australia 🇦🇺 use many of your products!! They are truly the best!!
The video is well put together! Makes me love my Scrub Daddy sponge more and more after learning the hardships and journey that Aaron went through. They deserve all the success!
This was very motivating thank you so much for filming it and making this video. I loved watching The Journey of Scrub Daddy become a success
ok but that new guy who dose the shorts is a pure comedic genius
marketing genius
Some people have it, some don’t. This guy is a genius!
very creative and love the energy!
GO DADDY!!
This is some authentic, true entrepreneurship story, not those randomly asking strangers how they become successful reels shit
very informative video, i loved the graphics thank u fortune
Great story and a great product. Scrub Daddy is the only sponge product I buy now. Completely replaced all other scrubbing devices and sponges and turned it into one.
This guy is an absolute inspiration. I live in Japan and I was finally able to buy scrub daddy (it was an 8 pack at costco) and I LOVE the sponge. It feels so good in the hand and cleans so well. I am also using one outside to clean and it got my daughter to clean because she loves the smiley face. My only little problem is that it doesn't produce enough suds compared to a soft sponge and I use more detergent but I am guessing they have a product in the line for that.
What a great story, and I love that you can recycle the sponges back awesome!!
What a good guy. Deserves his success.
This is amazing! And I love Scrub Daddy products, I’m a huge fan ❤thank you!
I’m a simple gal, if I see any video about Mr.Aaron Krause talking about his unwavering passion for Scrub Daddy, I click 🙂↕️
Such a powerful reminder that what initially appears as setbacks can open doors to unexpected opportunities. Embracing change and staying adaptable is key to turning challenges into stepping stones for growth. 🌱
What a well made video!
I've been using scrub daddy since its shark tank feature. I love this product and all the variants you've added through the years. Great job!!
This was a really great video, deserves more attention
I'd have to give an unbiased agreement to that statement
All the problems you go through become a huge part of the success you achieve.
That’s such a great example of determination & belief in your system. I would want to work at a company like that!
Such a cool story. Well done for them both.
Happy for him and his hustle
What a great story! Congratulations! I absolutely love these products!
Thank you for the support!
Absolutely The Best I Have Ever Seen.
U So Down To Earth Guy. For U There is A Highway to Heaven. Big Things always happen With a Smile U Got It All.
See U....
I ❤ this guy. Hard work, perseverance and smiling face anytime. Be brought that smile to Sponge as well. Positive people and happy people always win things.
What a great story. Such a down to earth guy!
Fabulous video Fabulous Business and a Fabulous guy thank you for this insight into a marvellous business 👍👍👍
Proud of you
what an inspiration honestly
I know everything about this is designed to get me to like the guy but he seems genuinely cool
this is such a wonderful story
Love it!!!
Great story!
I wish I could go back in time in 2001 and relive all this years again having my present consciousness
Not 😅me washing dishes with my scrub Daddy as I watch this😂
I want that Scrub Daddy Claw Machine 🤣
Much respect, Sir
The guy is a visionary
I love the eco side of this company.
We should urge more companies to make the change quickly.
Great Story!!
Such a great story!!! Love that they sat in boxes for 5 years? WOW. 😮
it just shows that everything in life happens for a reason!
Its a great story. I use his products and love them. I didn't realize how much behind the scenes work there was before shark tank. He worked his ass off and killed it. I love the story and i love that its made in the usa.
So inspiring
Amazing story!
I'll say
I can't believe Mark Cuban did not see the potential
He actually the worst investor in Shark Tank
Im so happy for him
Legendary
15:00 I AM DYING HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA "you are not the brightest are you? but I said: I understand" HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAH I love this guy
I love this product. I've never looked back
The scrub daddy necklace is fire
I unironically love the scrub daddy lol. Have never bought a sponge since
Absolutely brilliant! You earned every cent
I was so happy to buy them in my country in Europe. I immediately bought 10 of them. Love the story❤🎉
I love these! I hate cleaning but these sponges make it easy for me.
I use my Scrub Daddy every day. One of my twin granddaughters loves to watch Aurikatariina cleaning videos and she uses so many of the Scrub Daddy products! They work so well.
I absolutely loveeeee my scrub daddy. Once you try it, you CANT go back to the old sponges😂😂😂 just doesn’t hit the same
I smiled the entire time I watched this.
I just bought a dish daddy kit (with brush and attachable scrub daddy heads) so I can FINALLY throw out my bf's gross old dish brush! I've been using Scrub Daddy for years, thanks to Auriikaterina's videos. Scrub Daddy helps put a smile on my face, and got me out of the lowest point in my life. I will always love Scrub Daddy!!!
This sponge really has made cleaning a lot more fun!
Oh my gosh i freaking love these damn sponges they are awesome
I never thought he would have looked so handsome when he was young. He is still looking cute though.❤
I love scrub daddy products, I just wish there were more on the shelves over here in the UK
Working hard to make more of our products available in the UK soon! Stay tuned :)
@@ScrubDaddyOfficialplease it would be great , I only heard of your company in the last week. I love to clean and I can’t wait.
Tha fact I was actually looking to buy that sponge and I finally found it but on Youre TH-cam channel this sponge is amazing I kid you not 🔥🔥 one of the best sponges I’ve used ever no joke
This is my favorite pitch in Shark Tank history. Aaron and @scrubdaddyofficial are legends (and from my neighboring town!) and I'd never heard any of this backstory about the episode. So good.
I adore my Scrub Daddys! Best invention ever!!!!
I love this sponge! Scrub Mommy! 🥰 Thank you, I love doing the dishes now! 😂 can you make different color choices for scrub mommy! 🥰
I watched him on shark tank, and its so amazing to see how far he has come..
A very good presentation on Shark Tank. Lori came through w her promise.
He is inspiring
14:59 when he said “you’re not the brightest are ya dude” to Herjavec I was on the floor laughing 😂😂
Aaron you are a really good entrepreneur, competent and have a solid confidence on your product.
But i realised from your story.
That you are really lucky that Lori was there and replaced barbara!
This is crazy!
Luck is really needed for success.
This guy got a mad tick from working so hard on the scrub daddy
Well, I guess I'll be buying a scrub daddy on my next grocery trip. I thought it was weird and gimmicky, but no longer. What an awesome story.
"I understand, by that I meant I understand you have no idea what you're talking about" ..man that's cold fr
Now I gotta buy one soon.
he should be a shark, just like jamie siminoff
I love this history ❤❤❤❤❤❤
-Omg it is magic
-omg you might be my shark!
And that is how Lori met Aaron.
Best sponge in the whole wide world.
I watched shark tank scrub daddy episode, thought hey if I see a scrub daddy in the sore I will buy one and see how legit it does. Well it’s definitely the best sponge I have used lol! I have cast iron pots and pans that are a pain to clean, typically have to put some water in it and boil it to get stains out, but that little scrub daddy sponge works legit!